


Souls and Fireworks

by CheshireMoon



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Destiel - Freeform, Fireworks, Fourth of July, Gen, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 13:10:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1900155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireMoon/pseuds/CheshireMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's beautiful, Dean.  I always thought such things trivial, but it's beautiful.  If you have ever wondered what it is like to touch a human soul, to see a soul, this is what it is like.  All that pure, explosive light, all the colours you can ever imagine, the wonder and beauty, the noise of humanity.  This is like viewing souls."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Souls and Fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> For tumblr user @unofficialpoptart on tumblr, who requested a Destiel~

"It's fourth of July, Cas, and we don't have a case, so we're going to celebrate a little bit.  Let loose, y'know?" Dean said over his shoulder to the confused Angel in the backseat.  Sam turned to look at Cas, who was surrounded on all sides by the fireworks they'd stopped to collect.  Sam grinned at the sight and turned to face forward again.  Dean cut a glance over to his little brother for a moment, revelling in the smile, revelling in the fact that the worry lines between Sam's eyes were gone for the moment.  His eyes were bright and Dean was suddenly reminded of when Sam was a kid.

"I still do not understand why sending explosives into the sky is considered celebratory, but alright, Dean," Cas said at last.  Dean met Cas' eyes in the rearview mirror and he chuckled quietly.

"You'll just have to see, Cas.  You'll love it, I'm sure.  This big dork over here does."  He elbowed Sam lightly as he spoke, and a fleeting smile passed over Cas' lips at the brotherly antic. 

"Alright, Dean." 

They drove down an empty country road, open fields on one side and trees on the other.  "Think we're far enough out yet, Sammy?"  Dean asked suddenly.  Sam peered out through the window, looking all around.

"Looks pretty deserted, I think we should be good, as long as we get far enough away from the trees."  Dean nodded and turned the Impala off the road, gliding across the short grass of the field.  He glanced back at the treeline and came to a stop when they'd gone a good distance from the flammable trees.  He switched the car off, unbuckled his seatbelt and turned around to look at Cas, who was sat awkwardly. A couple boxes of fireworks had tipped over into him, partially spilling across his lap.  A lopsided grin slid onto Dean's face at the sight of the awkward angel, who was desperately trying not to move too much, lest the rest of the fireworks topple over onto him.

"I don't suppose you might help me," Cas asked after a moment, and both Sam and Dean started laughing.  Unconsciously, Dean reached back and patted Cas' leg.

"We'll get you out of there, just give us a minute."  The hunters slid out of the Impala, slamming their doors shut behind them and carefully opening the passenger doors on their side.  Dean immediately dove in and started shifting boxes, pulling some out and setting them on the road beside the car until Cas could wriggle out.  He tumbled out rather ungracefully, and Dean managed to catch him by the arms, setting him up straight with a grin.

"Woah there, easy.  Gonna break something."  Cas levelled him with an intense blue stare and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Or, I guess you wouldn't break something, right.  Angel.  Well, Feathers, let me get the rest of the fireworks out."  He let go of Cas, suddenly aware that he was still holding onto him, aware of how close they'd gotten.  He cleared his throat and turned to the backseat again.  Sam glanced across, and though it was somewhat dark, he swore he saw his brother's cheeks colouring slightly. 

He smirked a bit and yanked a box out of the car, setting it on the ground beside the stack he'd been working on while his brother and the angel had been doing whatever it is they'd been doing.  He rolled his eyes and stood back to survey the pile of explosives.  They'd managed to find and buy a really very impressive array and Sam found himself giddy with excitement.  He and Dean hadn't celebrated the fourth of July in several years.  Practically since they were kids, really. 

Dean clapped a hand on Cas' back, "You stay here, let me get Sam started.  I'm gonna let him light most of them off.  I want you to just stand back and... Well, just watch.  Think of it as a lesson in some of the great things about being human, okay?"  Cas stared at him for a few long seconds, and then nodded solemnly.  Dean's hand slid off his back and he walked around the side of the car to Sam, who was sorting through the fireworks.

"So, watcha wanna set off first, Sammy?"  He asked, crouching down beside his brother.  Sam shrugged his shoulder, a faint smile still on his lips.  He shoved a hand through his hair to push it out of his face, and Dean's chest tightened.  Sam had been through so much, it was good to see him smile.  It was good to see him just let go for one night and forget that they were supposed to fight things that went bump in the night.  Sam's face had softened a little, lost the hard lines that Dean had become accustomed to seeing, and he looked more like the little boy that Dean wished he still was than ever. 

"How about I leave you to it?  Cas is still confused."  Dean stood momentarily, digging a lighter out of his pocket and crouching again, handing the little metal thing over to Sam.  "You go crazy, kid, and we'll be back watching."  Sam turned to look at him with a bittersweet smile.

"Kinda wish Bobby and the others could be here.  Y'know?"  Sam remarked quietly, his hands going still.  Dean's smile dropped into a small frown at the words and he cast his eyes to the ground.

"Yeah.  I know, Sammy.  They'd all be here if they could, but it's just us three now.  You, me, and Cas."  He smirked sadly and glanced over his shoulder at Cas, who stood staring up at the stars with his hands in the pockets of his trench coat.  Dean's eyes lingered a moment and Sam smiled lightly.

"We've almost lost him a few times, but he's still here," Sam commented.  Dean nodded absently, and Sam gave him a playful push.  "Go on.  I'm going to start lighting these soon."  Dean turned back to his brother with a big, lopsided grin and reached up to ruffle his overly long hair.  Sam made his characteristic bitch-face and shoved Dean's hand away.  Dean stood with a laugh, and made his way back to Cas, who turned to look at him as he approached.

"Once, there were so many of us," Cas commented as Dean stopped near him.  "I remember the picture that we all took together.  I did not know the significance of taking such a photograph at the time, but now I am glad that we did."  He spoke as he stared up at the sky, and Dean quickly figured out that Cas had heard his and Sam's conversation by the fireworks.  He simply watched Cas.  "My family has almost always been broken and disjointed, angels at each other's throat.  It has never truly felt like a family, and I did not know what it was like to have a family until I met you and your brother, Dean.  That picture... It is proof that family exists, even if it is not what one might expect."  He finally turned to Dean, who had leaned back against the hood of the Impala.  He was smiling.

"You'll always be family to Sam and I, Cas.  Always," Dean said, a slight hitch in his throat.  Cas moved to sit on the hood of the Impala next to Dean, and they both looked to Sam, who was setting up the first round of fireworks, working like a giddy child. 

"Freakin' kid hasn't had time to act like a child since he was little.  Didn't even get to much then," Dean muttered.  Cas was watching Sam intently, as if still trying to unravel the mystery of what was so celebratory and fantastic about fireworks.  Dean looked over at him, and contented himself with watching the small shifts of emotion on the Angel's face.  He didn't even see the first firework go off, he simply watched the light dancing off of Cas' face.  He watched Cas' eyes go wide, the reds and whites and other assorted colours dancing and fracturing in Cas' ethereal blue eyes.  Dean could see the moment that Cas went breathless with wonder.

"See?  Being human's not so bad, is it?"  Dean commented after the lights had faded and Sam had given an exulted whoop of excitement.  Cas looked to Dean, excitement dancing in his expression.

"It's beautiful, Dean.  I always thought such things trivial, but it's beautiful.  If you have ever wondered what it is like to touch a human soul, to see a soul, this is what it is like.  All that pure, explosive light, all the colours you can ever imagine, the wonder and beauty, the noise of humanity.  This is like viewing souls."  Dean canted his head to the side curiously as Castiel spoke rapidly.  Lights and explosions sounded from the distance, and Sam gave another call of excitement.  Dean glanced over to his brother, who was watching the work of his own hands joyously.  He looked back to Castiel.

"This is what it was like to touch my soul?  Even though Hell had broken it?"  Dean asked before he could help himself.  Cas' expression softened slightly.

"Your soul is equal to a thousand fireworks at once, Dean, even when it was broken.  The humanity I found in your soul was so undeniably beautiful that, I'm sure you might have heard, I couldn't help but call out that you were saved."  Dean's breath caught unexpectedly in his throat as Cas laid his hand curiously on his shoulder, exactly where he'd once had the scar of Cas' hand.  Taking an almost unnecessarily deep breath for an angel, Castiel slid his hand down from Dean's shoulder and to his hand.

"I wouldn't mind," Cas said quietly.

"You wouldn't mind what?"

"Being human.  I don't think I would mind, were it to happen somehow, if I was able to be human with you and with Sam."  Dean smiled slightly and gripped Cas' hand, turning his eyes to Sam, who was jogging away from the row of fireworks he'd just lit.  He chuckled quietly as he gave Cas' hand a small squeeze.

"He's gonna burn down the field, like he did when we were kids," Dean commented under his breath and Cas laughed lightly.

**Author's Note:**

> Have a prompt for a ficlet you want me to do? You can get ahold of me @sammylied on tumblr~


End file.
